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FAO Releases Policy Brief on Food Security and Climate Change in the Pacific

26 November 2009: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization FAO has published a policy brief calling for governments to build resilience into food systems by implementing National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) alongside collaboration with international partners. The brief, titled "Climate Change and Food Security in the Pacific," highlights the potential impacts of climate change on agriculture, forestry and fisheries in the Pacific Islands due to sea level rise, ocean acidification, increased frequency of extreme weather events, and altered circulation of oceans and the atmosphere.

The brief notes the importance of diversification of agriculture and the need to prepare for changes in the distribution and abundance of fisheries, particularly tuna. It calls for the promotion of salt- and drought-resistant crops, and the rehabilitation of coastal forests. Noting the linkages between poverty, trade, sustainable livelihoods, food production and food distribution, it underscores the need to mainstream food security into adaptation initiatives.[FAO Press Release][The Policy Brief]